PERTH, March 11 (Reuters) - U.S.-based mining company Cliffs
Natural Resources on Wednesday blamed Australia for a
dramatic fall in ore prices and warned that its central bank may
one day be called to explain anti-competitive practices.

Lourenco Goncalves, president of Cliffs Natural Resources
Inc, said his company was quitting the Australian iron ore
business and putting its one mine in the country up for sale to
focus on the more promising U.S. market.

He said Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton
had embarked on separate campaigns to saturate China
with tens of millions of tonnes of Australian ore to drive out
local competitors.

Goncalves told an industry conference that the Reserve Bank
of Australia had manipulated its currency to help BHP Billiton
and Rio Tinto displace Chinese domestic production of iron ore
to their benefit.

BHP declined comment, and Rio Tinto and the Reserve Bank of
Australia were not available for immediate comment.

The Australian dollar has lost about 17 percent of
its value against the U.S. dollar since last September.

"That would be a difficult point if one day Australia has to
defend that in the WTO," he said, referring to the World Trade
Organisation.
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